popwreckoning updates |  |
- Perez Hilton Presents Tour Starring Ladyhawke and Ida Maria with Frankmusik and Semi Precious Weapons @ 9:30 Club, Washington D.C.
- Interview with: Hockey
- Hockey Announces Fall North American Tour
- Monolith Festival: Saturday, Sept. 12 @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver
| Posted: 15 Sep 2009 10:00 AM PDT On Saturday night the 12th at the 9:30 Club, D.C. readied for a clash of two rock goddesses – New Zealander electropopper Ladyhawke and Norwegian punk rocker Ida Maria. Support for the night was provided by London electropop/remixer extraordinaire Frankmusik and New York glam rockers Semi Precious Weapons. This tour is all thanks to the organization and chutzpah of SoCal celebrity gossip “reporter” Perez Hilton. A nice Neuro rep outside the club before the show explained to me that the owner of the company is a long-time friend of Hilton’s, so when the opportunity came up to him to sponsor Hilton’s new venture, it was a no-brainer really. The pleasant Neuro reps were handing out complimentary samples of their company’s energy drinks prior to the show, ensuring no one would forget who was sponsoring the event.
Amusingly, fans later threw glowsticks and a pair of lacy, hot pink underwear on the stage, and equally amusingly, Frank was appreciative. “3 Little Words,” a song I know and love from hearing it on BBC Radio, was fantastic live; as with the other songs, Frank gave a high octane performance, jumping up and down and getting the crowd into his music. “Better Off as 2,” another highlight, reminds of the most delicious ’80s pop I enjoyed as a kid. Based on the crowd’s delighted shouts and dancing (mostly younger than me), I think Frankmusik is making a good impression on them as well. Set List:
“Put a Diamond In It and Bite Down,” the most suggestive of all their songs of the night (which is not saying much because most of their songs are racy [!]), had gig-goers reaching out desperately for their Tranter, their hero. They’re the kind of band that you either love or hate. Judging back the raucous reaction from the floor, I’d say the crowd definitely loved them. And the band gave that love back: Tranter hung out and took photos with adoring fans, and Whittle, still dressed in his poncho, was dancing, on the mostly deserted floor, looking like a man possessed by the rhythm.
Admittedly, this was a very weird set delivered by Ida Maria. Although the band did have a printed-up set list, Ida made it up as she went along, pausing between songs to consult with her band mates on what to play next. Her set began with a brand-new song, “Kitchen Floor,” that Ida explained that only her parents had ever heard before, and she read the lyrics out for a black and white speckled composition book. She would refer to this book throughout the set, which made me wonder if she had forgotten the lyrics to her own songs. She recommended us to listen to Fela Kuti only “and you will be very happy.” “Oh My God,” released in late 2007 in the UK and re-released there this past January, as well as set-ender “I Like You…” were the bright spots of the night, even though she declared “I don’t believe in feminism, I believe in equality!” before the latter. A completely sober Hilton came out after Ida Maria and band had left the stage and commented, almost in an apology, that her set was “a train wreck.”
Ladyhawke is not a girly-girl in the conventional sense; she took to the stage looking more grunge than a fashion plate, in a plaid shirt over a Nirvana tee and jeans. Her look fits her music well; despite the blonde tresses, she gives the guitar-playing boys a run for their money, using the opportunity of instrumental bridges to really rock out. A couple songs into the set, she admitted that she was really nervous coming to D.C. but said the crowd’s reception of her and her music made her calm down and relax, and that she’d managed to do some sightseeing earlier in the day. Awww. She played almost all the songs off her album, with single cuts “Paris is Burning” and “Back of the Van” receiving the loudest cheering; she also included a newer B-side, “Danny and Jenny.” The finish for the night was the fabulous “My Delirium,” the ode to all girls who have ever been all consumed by a love so much they can’t function: “hey! you`re playing with my delirium / and the longer I wait the harder I’m gonna fall / stop! playing with my delirium / ‘cos I’m outta my head and outta my self control“. In the end, there was no contest: Ladyhawke won the crown, thundering applause ending her set and a wonderful night in Washington. I never thought I’d say this, but Mr. Perez Hilton, you have good musical taste! Set List:                          Ladyhawke: website | myspace | remix monday: “back of the van” | @ Dot to Dot Festival 2009 Related Posts |
| Posted: 15 Sep 2009 09:00 AM PDT You may already known them for that ubiquitous JC Penney’s commercial featuring “Too Fake” or maybe you witnessed them throwing beer at Lollapalooza. The band is Hockey and they are dropping their first US label release Mind Chaos, Sept. 14, so I dropped in on them at Lollapalooza to learn what this album and what they’re all about. I spoke with bassist Jeremy “Jerm” Reynolds and drummer Anthony Stassi. PW: Ok, so going off that Lolla hiccup, how do festivals compare to doing smaller club shows? PW: You guys just kind of exploded. You had Mind Chaos out for awhile on CD Baby and then it sold out and all of sudden you're just everywhere on blogs and commercials. PW: Is it just easier to go to the UK first or was there a reason? PW: Do you have a preference on a system? Do you wish the US had a naturalized system? PW: So on the Mind Chaos that is coming out Sept. 15, I feel like I have seen tons of album covers for it. Did you guys do the album art and what is going on with it? PW: It's cool. Now why did Mind Chaos's release date get pushed back? It was supposed to come out earlier this summer, right? PW: So do you guys have a hard time listening to your original EP or demos? PW: Working with Capitol and a label for this release–did they have a lot of say in it? PW: Ok, well, it is getting loud with The Virgins' sound check behind us, I read somewhere that you were all vegan, is that right? PW: Ok, well, let's be done so they can do sound check. I'm glad to have heard at least three songs today and hopefully I'll here more in KC soon. Hockey: website | myspace | @ lollapalooza | tour dates Related Posts |
| Hockey Announces Fall North American Tour Posted: 15 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT
Tour Dates: # with Robert Francis Photo: Pete Murray Related Posts |
| Monolith Festival: Saturday, Sept. 12 @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver Posted: 15 Sep 2009 07:00 AM PDT
The coasts of the United States never seem to be at a shortage for festivals, but travel to the heart of the country and festivals are scarce. The first day of the festival was a cold and rainy mess, but the bands stuck it out with smiles and were gracious to all the people who stayed the whole day. Store bought ponchos and trash bag made ones became the must have fashion accessory and one stage emcee quipped he would give a prize to anybody who could pull off the most creative, hipster rain outfit. I wore two jackets and a poncho and wrapped my camera gear in a bag and despite only operating on an hour of sleep, I made it through the festival and loved every minute of it. Monolith fortunately has one of the best indie line-ups with few disappointments, so it was easy to lose yourself in the music and forget that you couldn't feel your toes anymore. Generationals // Woxy.com Stage @ 12:20 – 1 p.m. Like I said, it was ridiculously cold out and off and on sprinkling, so heading to the indoor stages early seemed like a good plan when I arrived at Monolith Amphitheatre. Turns out it was. I started at the Woxy.com Stage, a stage that ended up having the best line-up of the day and hosting a majority of the best acts that I saw. Generationals were among those acts.
As I walked off from their set, I made a mental note to check out this band's music at home. I quickly learned that I'd be making a lot of these mental notes.
Stars of Track and Field // Radius Earphones Stage @ 1:00 – 1:40 p.m. I've been dying to see Stars of Track and Field since a few years ago, my local radio station, 96.5 the Buzz, played "Moons of Antarctica" on air and I went out and actually purchased their album. "With You," my favorite from that album, was actually the last song I listened to in the car ride before t I don't know why, but for some reason, I always figured the group had a girl in the band because of the records' harmonies, so I was a bit surprised when three guys came out wearing tight pants and leather jackets. Despite the gray day and playing indoors, the singer had on bug-eyed sunglasses. He also adorned a scarf and their whole look reminded me of the time I saw Barcelona and their musical sound isn't that different from each other. Perhaps they're all friends–they are both bands from the Northwest, and maybe they do their shopping together. Once I got over my surprise that a weird falsetto was the actual harmonizer, I got really into their set. They had a few pitchy problems, but it was still good. The new songs fit perfectly with the old and it was fun to watch the guitarist take random dips and jumps as he rocked out. Another cool thing that I discovered about Monolith watching them is that to the side of the Radius Earphones Stage, there was an artist that was painting them. I guess this was happening all day and it was fun to see a mixing of the two art genres. Stars of Track and Field just released a new album about a week ago. Go check them out. Set List:
The Antlers // Woxy.com Stage @ 1:40 – 2:20 p.m. The Antlers were yet another amazing discovery for me. I really hadn't heard much about them until this past week and had no idea what to expect The vocalist was a crooner and he would crawl up the scales at the end of the verses, hit his high note and add a beautiful, yet different vibrato touch at the end. Gorgeous. As a whole, the group had the Fleet Foxes vibe with that sort of blending and harmonizing that the Foxes do so well. Also gorgeous. A warning though—the musical subjects are very sad–hospitals, death and cancer. Set List:
Lydia // Radius Earphones Stage @ 2:20 – 3 p.m. I’ve seen these barefoot indie pop musicians multiple times and they always give warm fuzzies. Piano, pleasing guitars and a perfectly happy band that never stops smiling kind of does that for you. They're like Straylight Run, but happier.
These United States // Woxy.com Stage @ 3 – 3:40 p.m. I think this band might win for favorite new artist of the day. PopWreckoning recently raved about them in an album review, and now we continue the raving by declaring them fucking amazing live. These United States made every person in the room feel like they were all close friends at a party such as that. Their crowd interactions made it seem like if you did have a request, they would have tried to fulfill it. In fact they tried to do something like that. A person in the audience asked where they were from and after responding, they want on to say that they had a question box on the side of the stage because nothing was as important as responding to what the people want. And as for the crowd, whether they knew the bands very, very, very new music, they would still try to sing along. When I left the room, I was still singing, "Get yourself home, boy, get yourself home." The little jamboree at the packed Woxy.com Stage was hands down one of the best sets of the festival and maybe one of the best sets that I've seen in my life.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros // Southern Comfort Presents Stage @ 3 – 3:30 p.m. I only caught a bit of this group, but it was exactly like the Letterman performance. Smiliing hippies dancing to the feel good "Kumbayah" like music that a bajillion musicians on stage were performing. It was good, but it is hard to give a complete review of a band when you only caught a song and a half.
Frightened Rabbits // Esurance Music Stage @ 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. This Scottish act was the first of three that I would see at the festival and the Scottish acts came to the festival to show the American audience who was boss. Accents made it difficult to really follow lyrics, but it didn’t matter. It sounded great and the people loved it. Some fans got really, really into it:
Pains of Being Pure at Heart // Southern Comfort Presents Stage @ 4 – 4:45 p.m. Pains of Being Pure at Heart was a band that I was really excited and really nervous to see. I loved their self-titled debut, but one of the critics I respect in Omaha gave them a mixed review about two days before this festival. He basically said something along the lines of PoBPaH as one of those groups that has a great band, but a singer who can’t sing. After seeing them for myself, I have no idea what he was talking about. The singing was perfectly fine and a nice cheery spot in the extra dismal weather. Kip, the singer, even quipped, “Today we’re the Rains of Being Pure at Heart.” I think the band’s genuine glee at playing for Monolith made the set just that much better. It would have been easy to be wallow in misery that I could see my breath, couldn’t feel my extremities and was now at risk for pneumonia, but then I would look up and see Pains’ smiles and I’d smile too and forget the cold and get lost in their noise pop.
OK Go // Esurance Music Stage @ 4:45 -5:45 p.m. You know them for their dance moves whether in front of funky wallpaper, on treadmills or in a backyard, but OK Go is so much more than that. They are a talented band that cares about their fans and really understand the art of performance. One member walked out ahead of the group and struck out a large clear sideways bass drum. He was the herald to singer Damian Kulash’s entrance. It was an attention grabbing opening. The band proceeded into a set filled with all their well-known songs and some brand new ones. There was lots of confetti and cute little anecdotes. What I liked the most about OK Go was that the band really was all about the people. Red Rocks is an epic amphitheatre, but there is a big gap between the main stage and the front row of the audience. Kulash bridged that gap and carried his mike stand to the heart of the audience for a love song. “Denver, are you lovers?” Kulash asked. To which the crowd cheered a yes. “Good. Our next one is a love song. We’re going to give it the 60s treatment and wave…or you got lighters? Those allowed here? Hold up you cell phones and let them get fucked up in the rain.” They had a playful edge about them that just made it impossible to not like every moment of the set. “This next one is a new song, but I need your help singing. This is in C er G no D…Pitch perfect. We’re pitch perfect.” said Kulash. “You’ll sing, ‘Let it go, this too shall pass.” The audience had a miserable attempt at repeating it back. “That was a bit fast, but we’ll give it a try.” Kulash does not have a future in teaching because that was the worst attempt at giving directions I have ever seen. When the song finally got to that part, it sounded nothing like what he sang in the practice run, resulting in a kind of pub like singalong on the audience’s end. Fortunately I think Kulash has a secure future in music so he won’t have to toy with the idea of education as an alternate career. Set List:
The Walkmen // Southern Comfort Presents Stage @ 5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. I couldn't bring myself to leave OK Go and I was dreading trekking up the stairs again, so I was strongly contemplating skipping the Walkmen to wait to see M. Ward, but others at the site have said this act was the shit, so I embraced more soreness to add to my calves and jogged up to see the Walkmen. It was good, but kind of blah. After the last few really solid and crowd-welcoming performers, it was hard to get into this set. The Walkmen's downfall? They could sing and play well, but the performance was lacking in the entertainment value. Sorry other editors at this site. I just didn't feel it. M. Ward // Esurance Music Stage @ 6:15 – 7:15 p.m. M. Ward had a similar problem to the Walkmen, except, unlike them, I felt really guilty that I found his set a little blasé. He is a fantastic guitarist and singer, but I think he would have been better off either earlier in the day or playing one of the smaller indoor stage. Ward just had a tough act to follow after OK Go's set and like I said, his problem wasn't that he isn't talented. Simply poorly placed in the line up. Set List: Beethoven
Girl Talk // Esurance Music Stage @ 7:45 p.m. – 9 p.m. Anybody who has heard of Girl Talk knows that Girl Talk tears it up every time. My friends had never experienced Girl Talk and I had to rush off to an interview before this set, so I gave them a little tip: stay close to the front before this set and keep your eyes open. Anyways, my smart friends took my advice and soon noticed a line toward the side of the stage and hopped in the line. This line was to get on stage with Girl Talk and to dance your heart out. So as Girl Talk blasted his spin on modern and classic hits, my friends got to dance up close and personal on one of the most epic stages in the United States. I got out of my interview to join the rest of the audience getting covered in the rain, toilet paper and confetti and I loved every messy minute of it. Girl Talk has to be the love of everyone…well, maybe not the security and clean-up crews, but still, you know what I mean.
Of Montreal // Southern Comfort Presents Stage @ 8:45 – 9:30 p.m. It is weird to say this, but Of Montreal was kind of tame this time around. No guitars were given out like at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza at the end of the set. No guest performers. No balloons. Even the costumes weren't quite as crazy as usual. So since I wasn't as distracted by the other stuff that usually accompanied their set, I was actually left to focus on their music this time around. Guess what? It was still fucking amazing. Great keys, falsettos and guitars and all while every band member moved around and danced. Set List: Rejector
Yeah Yeah Yeahs // Esurance Music Stage @ 9:30 – 11 p.m. I want to be Karen O. This is a woman so creative that she can wear jackets more colorful than Joseph’s technicolor dreamcoat. Karen O owns the stage and uses every square inch for her dance moves and she never tires as she hops around. Watching her, it is almost easy to forget that Yeah Yeah Yeahs is a band and there are other people on the stage. I’ve seen this band multiple times and tonight was the first time that I really watched the rest of the band. Nick Zinner has some great guitar lines, but I finally noticed him as a performer tonight. He often just stands off to the side in a too cool for school leather jacket with his lower lip out in a concentrated pout as he plays. This show he seemed to finally interact and Karen and Nick even came together in an embrace at one point. Each song was better than the last as the band went through old and new hits. “Cheated Hearts” into “Headz Will Roll” into the normal full version of “Maps” just made for a non-stop dance party and singalong. It was a great way to end the night and left the crowd psyched and ready for day two of the festival. Set List:
Look for the Sunday follow-up soon!
Monolith Festival: website Related Posts |
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